China National Traditional Orchestra Explained

China National Traditional Orchestra
Short Name:China National Orchestra
Former Name:China Central Nationalities Orchestra, among many others
Type:Orchestra
Native Name:中国中央民族乐团
Native Name Lang:zho
Concert Hall:National Centre for the Performing Arts – Concert Hall, Beijing
Location:Beijing, China
Principal Conductor:Liu Sha
Music Director:Jiang Ying

The China National Traditional Orchestra (CNTO) (; also called China National Orchestra) is a 110-piece orchestra of traditional Chinese musical instruments with an accompanying folk choir. Founded in Beijing, China in 1960, the orchestra is a state-level (national) performing arts institution directly administered and endorsed by China's Ministry of Culture (MOC). Its mission is to promote and advance China's musical heritage. is part of a cultural exchange program called Image China and the orchestra is managed by the China Arts and Entertainment Group (CAEG).

History

The China National Traditional Orchestra was founded by composer and conductor Li Huanzhi (1919–2000), the former chair of the Chinese Musicians' Association. 's current president and producer is musician and ethnomusicologist Xi Qiang, who is a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. In 1993, the China National Traditional Orchestra founded Orchestra Asia, together with Ensemble Nipponia of Japan and the South Korean National Orchestra.

In the interest of promoting a larger view of Chinese culture, became the first Chinese orchestra known for combining music performance with other Chinese art forms, such as painting. Its 2015 concert tour Rediscover Chinese Music, was promoted as "a breathtaking multimedia experience" with storytelling, lighting and sound special effects, multimedia backdrops, and moving scenery.

Alternate names

The China National Traditional Orchestra has been known by several English names over the years, largely due to challenges with Chinese translation. The orchestra's Chinese name is pronounced in Chinese as Zhōngguó Zhōngyāng Mínzú Yuètuán, where Zhōngguó means "China," zhōngyāng means "central," and mínzú yuètuán means "ethnic nationalities" orchestra.

In English-speaking countries, the has been misidentified as other similarly named Chinese orchestras. The orchestra has also been referred to by different names within the same news article and in the orchestra's own promotional materials.

English variants of the orchestra's name include:

Central Chinese OrchestraCentral Traditional OrchestraCentral Nationalities Orchestra
China Central Chinese OrchestraChina Central Folk OrchestraChina Central Orchestra
China Central National Music OrchestraChina Central National OrchestraChina Chinese Central National Orchestra
China Chinese National OrchestraChinese National OrchestraChina Central Nationalities Orchestra
National Chinese Traditional OrchestraNational Orchestra of ChinaNational Traditional Orchestra of China

Perhaps owing to its favored relationship with China's Ministry of Culture, orchestra leadership might have continually revised the ensemble's English name to reflect its current importance or social status, differentiate it from countless other Chinese orchestras, and emphasize the 's stated mission of "sharing China's musical heritage with the world." In 2015, the orchestra has been consistently billed and promoted as the China National Traditional Orchestra at the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, and Lincoln Center, as evidenced by venue calendars and ticket sales webpages.

Notable orchestra members

Musicians

Creative team

Performances

The orchestra has performed throughout China and visited dozens of nations on five continents.

Highlights

Performance chronology
YearDatesLocationVenueEvent and/or ConcertNotesSource
1984 11 August Washington, DC Concert presented by the Smithsonian Resident Associate Program.
1989 September Beijing, China Beijing Concert Hall In collaboration with the Han-Tang Yuefu Ensemble. Taiwan Today
1997 19 February Worcester, MA Mechanics Hall premier of Spring Dreams Performance of concerto commissioned for Yo-Yo Ma and the orchestra.
  • Worcester Magazine
  • ISSUU ScoresOnDemand
20 February New York, NY Carnegie Hall premier of Spring Dreams Performance of concerto commissioned for Yo-Yo Ma and the orchestra.
  • New York Times
  • ISSUU ScoresOnDemand
1998 27 January Vienna, Austria Vienna Golden Hall (Wiener Musikverein) Chinese Lunar New Year Concert / Grand Chinese New Year Concert Chen Xieyang, conductor
  • South China Morning Post
  • Beijing Review
2000 24 August New York, NY China Cultural Exchange 2000
  • BeijingTheatre.com
  • The China Report
26–27 August Washington, DC Eisenhower Theater, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Washington City Paper
31 August Chicago, IL China National Orchestra Gala Concert
  • Chicago Reader
  • Chinese Music Society of North America
3 September St. Louis, MO Faces of Love Towards the East St. Louis Mayor Clarence Harmon proclaimed 3 September 2000 as China National Orchestra Day. St. Louis Chinese American News
10 September San Francisco, CA San Francisco debut. Sold-out performance. Standing ovation. At the end of program, the orchestra played three encores.
17 September New York, NY The Bronze Culture Festival Yo-Yo Ma performs. The Wall Street Journal
2010 29 January Brussels, Belgium Concert organized by Europalia International and the Chinese Ministry of Culture.
  • BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts Calendar
  • China.org.cn
30 January Paris, France UNESCO Headquarters or Maison de l'UNESCO Chinese New Year Concert By invitation, limited seating capacity.
Chen Xieyang, conductor
UNESCO
1 November Beijing, China Concert Hall of the NCPA (National Center for the Performing Arts) Month-long series of stage performances to celebrate the country's cultural achievements Chen Xieyang, conductor China Central Television
2011 5 August Salzburg, Austria 91st Salzburg Festival / Salzburg Summer Festival Marks the first time a traditional Chinese music group played at this event.
  • Chen Xieyang, director
  • Xi Qiang, orchestra chair
  • China Central Television
7 December Beijing, China Concert Hall of the NCPA (National Center for the Performing Arts) Part of concert series: One Hundred Concerts of Chinese Music BeijingTheatre.com
2012 14 June Beijing, China Concert Hall of the NCPA (National Center for the Performing Arts) Bamboo in Blues BeijingTheatre.com
2013 4 February Los Angeles, CA Spring Festival Celebration
8–10 February Stanford, CA Pan-Asian Music Festival; Friday Night's Concert: Masters and Masterpieces Three-day residency at the university culminated in live performance, with several standing ovations and four encores...
  • Stanford Report
  • Stanford Pan-Asian Music Festival 2013 (program)
  • Official Press Release
17 February Raleigh, NC China on String Stars of the National Chinese Traditional Orchestra in a program with the Raleigh Symphony Orchestra. Program sponsored by Confucius Institute at NC State University and the Carolina China Council.
  • CVNC: An Online Arts Journal
26 August Beijing, China Concert Hall of the NCPA (National Center for the Performing Arts) Impression of Chinese Music Wang Chaoge, director CITS
2 October Sanford, NC Chinese Music Exhibition & Seminar Xi Qiang, artistic director
22 November St. Petersburg, Russia Mariinsky Theater, Theatre Square Chinese Tourism Year in Russia China Central Television
2014 13 January Beijing, China Roar Katy Perry visited.
  • Getmusic Asia
  • China Central Television
14 February San Francisco, CA Chinese New Year Concert Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in San Francisco
2015 15 February Chicago, IL Sounds of China: A Chinese New Year Celebration Presented in collaboration with the Chinese Fine Arts Society (CFAS)
  • Jiuyue Ma, artistic director
  • Chicago Tribune
  • Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association
  • Chicago Chinatown Chamber of Commerce E-News
15 April Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, University of British Columbia China-Canada Year Opening Ceremony China Daily US
7 May Atlanta, GA Free concert to launch the Qin-Tai – Chinese Music Program Brought to Atlanta by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the State Council Information Office of the People's Republic of China. GCIV Exchange Newsletter
27 November Shanghai, China Rediscover Chinese Music An experimental program.
  • Xi Qiang, orchestra president
  • Wang Chaoge, director
  • Jiang Ying, composer
Shanghai Daily
11–13 December Washington, DC Kennedy Center Opera House Rediscover Chinese Music The Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School Chorus performed with the orchestra.
  • Jiang Ying, composer and arranger
  • Li Bin, stage design
  • Wang Yugang, lighting design
  • Gan Hua and Zheng Zejian, multimedia design
  • Zuo Huanyu, costume design
  • Shen Tian, sound design
  • Xi Qiang, producer
  • Kennedy Center
  • Washington Post Magazine
  • DC Outlook
  • Washington Chinese Media
  • Metro Weekly
  • NewsChannel 8 (cable)
18 December New York, NY Lincoln Center China National Traditional Orchestra: Splendor of Folk Music
  • Tang Feng, Erhu (Chinese Fiddle)
  • Wu Yuxia, Pipa (Chinese Lute)
  • Wang Ciheng, Dongxiao (Chinese Bamboo Flute)
  • Wu Lin, Konghou (Chinese Harp)
  • Zhao Cong, Pipa (Chinese Lute)
  • Lincoln Center
  • Broadway World
  • New York Classical Review
20 December New York, NY Carnegie Hall Impression Guoyue: Traditional Master Works Orchestra was invited by the Princeton International Chinese Music Festival.
  • Jiang Ying, composer and arranger
  • Liu Sha, conductor
  • Tang Feng and Jin Yue, erhu
  • Wang Ciheng, dizi and xiao
  • Wu Yuxia, Zhao Cong, and Yu Yuanchun, pipa
  • Feng Maintain, ruan
  • Niu Jiandang, suona
  • Zhu Jianping and Yu Xin, percussion
  • Chen Shasha and Ding Xiaokui, dizi
  • Zhang Jiali, guanzi
  • Lu Ning, gu qin
  • Lucid Culture (NY blog)
  • Carnegie Hall
  • Broadway World
  • Xinhua News Agency
2019 25 January Washington, DC Opera House at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Image China: Xuanzang's Pilgrimagen  
  • Broadway World

Criticism

The China National Traditional Orchestra has faced its share of criticism in the past – both at home and abroad – in that it did not actually promote actual traditional Chinese music in the beginning, but rather, it used the Western-style orchestra model that was prevalent in much of the orchestra world. Historically, traditional Chinese music was performed with soloists or in small ensembles rather than in large concert halls. What's more, to be more accessible to Western audiences when playing internationally, the orchestra's concert repertoire has in the past included works by Bach and Strauss, and contemporary songs like "New York, New York", and non-Chinese patriotic hymns like "America the Beautiful". In recent years, the orchestra has focused on the commission and arrangement of more traditional pieces representative of its heritage.

Not to be outdone by Western or popular music trends, the orchestra also collaborates with well-known directors like Wang Chaoge to help inject energy into traditional music performances by "creating innovative shows." The orchestra's performances outside of China appear to be well received, as inferred by sold-out concerts, standing ovations, multiple encores, and media coverage. For example, at the December 2015 Kennedy Center premiere of Rediscover Chinese Music, an audience member was recorded on camera saying "[the show] was moving. It was beautiful." One could assume that the orchestra's efforts to fuse modern stage production values with ethnic melodies has been a successful tactic in attracting new, enthusiastic audiences.

External links